Making Raised Panel Doors With a Router

Design the frame and panel of your door on a piece of paper. Make the panel ½ inch larger in width and height than the inside opening of the frame. For example, you could build a raised panel door with exterior dimensions of 15 by 20 inches, with rails and stiles that are three inches wide. This would make the inside dimensions of the frame opening 9 by 14 inches, making the panel 9½ by 14½ inches.

Cut a notch that is 3/8 inch deep by ¼ inch wide on the inside faces of the rails and stiles. Because the notch will have an extra 1/8 inch in depth on each side in comparison to the width of the panel, the panel will have room to swell and shrink. You can cut this notch on a table saw or using a router with a straight bit.

Make a panel that measures 9½ by 14½ inches. If you have a board that is wide enough, you can make the panel out of a single board. Otherwise, you will have to glue a panel from multiple boards. Be sure that the panel is square by measuring it diagonally from corner to corner in both directions. These measurements should be the same.

Install a raised panel bit in your router. For maximum accuracy and safety, use a router that is mounted in a router table.

Place the panel face down on the router table and create the raised panel profile by passing it over the router bit. Set the fence on the router table so that you only take a part of the cut on the first pass. Move the fence back and cut a bit more each time. By not trying to cut the entire profile in a single pass, you reduce the risk of splitting and chipping.

Assemble the door by sliding the edges of the raised panel into the notches in the rails and stiles and gluing and clamping the frame together. Do not glue the panel to the frame, otherwise it won't be able to move freely.